Prices on longer term plans of a year or more have also risen significantly. Retail electricity providers are reluctant to discuss their prices — especially rising ones — but the Association of Electric Companies of Texas, a trade group, estimated that the rate on a one-year fixed price offer on the Power to Choose website has climbed more than 20 percent over the past year to an average of 11.1 cents per kilowatt hour.
These materials are provided by Constellation NewEnergy, Inc., Constellation NewEnergy Gas Division, LLC, Constellation Energy Power Choice, LLC, Constellation Energy Gas Choice, LLC, or BGE Home Products & Services, LLC (d/b/a BGE Home, Constellation Electric and Constellation Home in Maryland and d/b/a Constellation Home in Pennsylvania and Texas), each a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation. Exelon Corporation also owns Atlantic City Electric (ACE), Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO and Pepco energy companies. BGE Home Products & Services, LLC, is not the same company as BGE, the regulated utility. The prices of Constellation are not regulated by any state Public Utility Commission. You do not have to buy Constellation electricity, natural gas or any other products to receive the same quality regulated service from your local utility. Brand names and product names are trademarks or service marks of their respective holders. All rights reserved. Errors and omissions excepted.
If you’re looking for a new electricity deal, you’re not alone: 319,000 electricity customers switched energy supplier during January 2018, according to OFGEM*. Shopping around for the best electricity deal is simpler than you might think – but there are bound to be a few questions. Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about comparing electricity deals.
The cheapest rates are going to have shorter contract terms. For instance, a 3 month term is cheaper than a 6 month term and a 6 month term is cheaper than a 12-14 month term. So if you are able to remember to call before your contract expires (they will notify via mail you that your contract is about to expire), then the 3 or 6-month term is your best bet. If you don't call to renew/cancel, you will be charged a much higher variable rate on a month-to-month basis. If this is you, sign for a 12-month contract term with the cheapest rate.
REPs sell electricity rates to Houston energy consumers, but transmission and distribution service providers (TDSPs) deliver the supply of electricity. In Houston, CenterPoint Energy serves as the area's TDSP and works with about 85 REPs. If your power goes out, immediately report the issue to CenterPoint Energy, not your REP. Use the following phone numbers to get in touch with your Houston TDSP.
Another unwelcome side effect of not knowing your average monthly kWh usage level is that you may end up paying more than you expect. This can occur when a customer inadvertently shops an electric rate based on a higher usage level than they actually use. Electricity suppliers commonly advertise their electric rates associated with the highest (2000 kWh) usage levels since those tend to be the lowest rates.
You have the power to choose your Houston electricity provider, so why should you choose Bounce Energy for your home? It all starts with the Bounce Energy Promise. The promise means you'll never be charged unnecessary fees. What's more, Bounce Energy will work to make sure you remain a satisfied customer starting the moment you sign up and following through with every renewal. Our dedicated customer service team, is always willing to help you and explore the plans available to determine which is electricity plan is right for your home. They're available online via chat, email, Facebook, Twitter and even over the phone, which means you can reach them however you'd like.
My True Cost: This website is owned and operated by CenterPoint Energy. When you input your smart meter number, the website can use your usage data to tell you how much your electric bill will be if you picked various plans on its website. CenterPoint charges the Retail Electric Providers if they want to be listed on this site, so there are far fewer plans here than on Power to Choose. When we compared for an inner loop address, there were 83 plans on My True Cost compared to 179 on Power to Choose. You may be missing less expensive plans if you don't look at the state's website also. More info
How does that work? Spark Energy buys electricity and competes in the market for the best price -- a competition that ultimately drives prices down and allows us to deliver more value for your money. In Texas, switching to a different electricity provider is kind of like changing to a different long distance company. When you switch to Spark Energy, the utility will continue to deliver electricity to your home but Spark Energy will handle all the billing, including the utility’s delivery fees and the electricity you actually use.
In deregulated states, electricity providers simply can't do business like that because consumers like you are demanding energy from renewable sources. Threats of global warming are too terrible to be irresponsible with our energy sources anymore. As a result, each electric company is pushing forward to find renewable energy sources that are cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable than older forms of energy.
Business specialists say that retail electricity companies follow a model used in other mature industries, such as banking, cell phone services and cable television, where the market is saturated and the main way to grow is by poaching customers from competitors. In all these industries, companies use cut-rate promotional offers to win customers and then hope inertia sets in once promotions expire and prices increase.
With over 2.3 million residents, Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth most populated in the United States. Encompassing over six hundred square miles, Houston stands as the fifth most popular metropolitan area in the country and gets its name from the commander who won Texas’ independence from Mexico in 1836. The city lies in the southeastern portion of the state within a deregulated Electricity market and as such, allows residents to select an energy provider from the various service companies that serve the state.